A fantastic word of mouth story from Brenda at Chesapeake Cats & Dogs. I volunteer with Chesapeake Cats & Dogs (a small nonprofit on Maryland’s Eastern Shore), and we try to make our events unusual and fun. In March, we had a Kitten Shower at a local business, featuring our adoptable cats. We advertised the […]

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Simple, easy to do, good for the business, good for the cause. Scouts get a fundraiser, pizza place sells pizza. Scouts tell all their friends about the pizza place — great for local word of mouth. Are you overthinking your local marketing?

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An empty box shows up via UPS. Inside is a map from my house to the nearest Goodwill donation center. This simple, elegant, inexpensive campaign was so remarkable that I told everyone I saw, for weeks. I showed the box to everyone who came to my office. Which is the whole point of word of […]

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[Welcome back to the Damn, I Wish I Thought of That! newsletter. This is text of the great issue all of our email subscribers just received. Sign yourself up using the handy form on the right.] If the holiday gift you’re sending to clients and prospective customers is unremarkable, why bother sending it at all? Trust […]

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Welcome back to the Damn, I Wish I Thought of That! newsletter. This is text of the great issue all of our email subscribers just received. Sign yourself up using the handy form on the right.] We partnered with charity: water for our Word of Mouth Supergenius event this summer. It was a great experience using […]

I taught word of mouth marketing at Northwestern University and internet entrepreneurship at the Wharton School of Business. I’m a serial entrepreneur who founded and advises startups and nonprofits. And I’m a rabid purist on the topic of marketing ethics.

About This Blog

"Damn, I Wish I'd Thought of That!" is full of unusually useful ideas borrowed from the smartest marketers. Good marketing is more about brains than bucks. The best business ideas are easy to do, inexpensive, simple, and fun. Learn to simplify your business, earn word of mouth, and thrill your customers.